VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Intrusions on fliers

Regarding the use of the new airport security body scanners, why is no one questioning the type of radiation being emitted by these machines and the approximate dose received per scan by the scanees and by the Transportation Security Administration employees who will use the machines for eight hours daily? Will the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration require the TSA employees to wear dosimeters for their protection like the radiology department employees at hospitals and clinics?

As I am one of those irradiated babies of the 1930s through 1960s, I would expect the medical community as well as the scanner manufacturers to weigh in with their best guesstimates as to the health risks, especially for frequent fliers. That I may not fully trust their guesstimate is a result of my ongoing health risks.

As to the preservation of human dignity and privacy, I trust that scanned images will be immediately deleted. Who comes up with these ever-escalating intrusions to our privacy and why would we choose to put our future health at risk from non-medical radiation exposure as well? Personally, I think I will just opt to be patted down.

-- Barbara Dutko, Homewood

Airport privacy

Why not use computer analysis of the images to essentially avoid privacy issues with full-body scanning?

The images could be "read" by computers equipped with artificial intelligence guidelines as to what might not be normal and what might be suspicious in a scan. Then, if something out of the ordinary is detected, an alarm would be sounded and more thorough screening would be conducted.

This approach would essentially avoid the privacy issue, since no person would view the image unless a problem is detected.

-- Richard Kaplan, Flossmoor

Luck is not security

It appears that columnist Georgie Anne Geyer has lost contact with reality. In "Over-reaction to terror plot a bad move" (Commentary, Dec. 31), she states, "So I would argue that everything did go quite well . . . " of the Christmas Day attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253.

Because of mere luck, the plane did not explode with a loss of nearly 300 lives. The terrorist had enough explosives to bring the plane down. He was able to light the device. Somehow it failed to detonate.

We have discovered that folks on a terror watch list did not automatically have their visas revoked and were not even tagged for extra screening. The idea that folks on a terror watch list were (and possibly are still are) allowed to enter this country is frightening. Non-citizens do not have an absolute right to enter this country.

How can she argue that things went well when it is discovered that we weren't even taking simple steps to keep ourselves safe?

-- Kathy Edgeworth, Baton Rouge, La.

Security views

Fair warning to airport security personnel: If you are going to use your new scanner on my 80-year-old body, you do so at your own risk.

-- Don Moss, Springfield

Second chances

This is in response to "Philadelphia folly" (Editorial, Dec. 31), which harshly condemns Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. The notion that Vick is undeserving of receiving the Ed Block Courage Award is founded in the mud of ignorance. The author of the editorial points out that Vick only "had to endure a lot of flak . . . because he was killing dogs."

Well, yes. That's exactly correct. Vick made a mistake -- a large, multifaceted mistake, mind you -- but a mistake nonetheless. Vick has since apologized and served his time in prison as appropriated by the United States justice system, and taken steps to speak out against his violent former hobby. Those who say he does not deserve to be in the NFL are not only insulting the judgment of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell but of our very own justice system.

What more do you want?

People like the person who wrote this editorial will never forgive Vick, and there's nothing he can do to assuage their sentiment. It's because of people like this that Vick won the award in the first place. How difficult is it to succeed and be comfortable on a professional sports team when there are thousands of people speaking out that you shouldn't be there? That's a much larger helping of diversity than the average player has on his plate.

Vick played despite protests, angry fans, extensive (and often negative) media coverage and more. But isn't America the land of second chances?

Vick has done everything asked of him by the NFL and by the court, and there's no counter-argument to disprove that. When Vick says he's suffered more than other people, it is because of his own doing, but that doesn't mean the suffering was any less difficult to deal with.

In my opinion, Vick has shown a great amount of courage playing amid the harsh criticism from the masses, and it's time people recognize that -- if they have the courage themselves.

-- Noah M. Eberhart, Malvern, Pa.

Importance of voting

The Jan. 7 editorial "Vote for A, B, C, D . . . or?" promoting the idea of appointing rather than electing judges smacks of cynicism about our electoral system. I research, I vote and people who run for office are thereby accountable to me.

Arguing judges are beholden to campaign donors rather than voters is a slippery slope. Presently all of our leaders are.

Should we go to an appointments system for all branches of government? Absurd.

Instead of advocating for judicial appointment, the editorial board should push for reform that takes donation completely out of the electoral process. I like my franchise, thank you very much.

-- Glen Herman, Chicago

Budget deficit

To balance the dangerous Illinois budget deficit and get people back to work, some important steps need to be taken: Abolish the state tax on corporations to attract businesses and jobs, abolish the state pension system and replace it with a less-extravagant 401(k) matching system as in the private sector, and modify the state personal income tax by increasing the individual deductible tax-free income to $20,000 and then tax the remainder at a flat rate sufficient to balance the state budget.

Many of the people covered by the state pension system also qualify for Social Security.

-- Thomas Cechner, Lockport

Define 'news'

We often hear the expression "All the news is bad."

I think we should be thankful that the "bad" is news.

-- George Hoeksema, South Holland

In search of warmth

While enduring the inclement icy, snowy and freezing temperatures recently, with promises of more to come, it almost makes me wish for the promised global warming.